The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-09-13


Hearts are Bleeding, pleading and crushed,
While rooms are dGrkened and voices hushed.
And mother sleeps, and a world Of cae
Has passed from the brow ofmarbe there;
And the sweet, white lips are. closed for aye,
II .edless, al last, 10 the children's cry.
A motherles brood with aching hearts,
A new fresh grief as each dag departs
Nothing remains save deep, black PAIL
And knocking echoes through room and haIl,-
Echoes of earth on a coffin lid,
Thoughts OF face forever hid,
Shafts of pCin that pierce and rend,
Sobbing fareWells TO our only friend.
Echoes of mothers words and song,
Echoes that come in . huTying throng-
Of kindness, and love, and patient ways,
Of wstchful care through nights and days.
Memory of hands with toll acquaint,
Of burdens borne with no complaint;
Echoes of prayers, and hopes, and fears
A perfect trust through many years;
EchoessnfaI that we did or said
TO Whites the hair in that mothers head;
Memory of acts, in a childish mood,
That showed to her ingratitude.
Vainly we CALL and cry, and weep
We cannot awaken from that sleep
The mother who loved Us and gave as birth,
Her dear folm rests meath a swell of earth.
But night has fallen, the day is done,
And sorrow reiens on his dread, black throne.
.'Mother is dead !" is our wailing cry,
And hollow echoes go hurrying by.
Oh who can tell ola mothers love?
Who c&n measure, save God above?
And none can tell of mother s loss,
But those who Lear that heavy cross.
GAY DAVIDSON, in Good Housekeeping
Possibly, the two most highly esteemed
earthly blessings are money and health. These
form the foundation of the positive theory of
happiness But there is marked difference
between them; money is the most envied, but
the least enjoyed health is the most enjoyed
but the least enyied The contrast is stranger
when we reflect that the poorest man would
not give his health for money, but the richest
would gladly give all his money for health.
For what enjoyment is there in life without
that greatest of all earthly boons-health.
Money may add to cur comfort and give us the
advantages land they are great of the best
medical aid, but alas often enough that fails
to give relief, and money is as nothing when
compared to strong, vigorous health. What is
to be so envied as health
How often we hear the question asked:
Ills good cooking lost art?" An exchange
says on this subject, "is the food of today as
good as that of fifty years ago." The para
phernalia of housekeeping has increased
ten-fold, but we cannot say that the i'm
provement has been in ratio to this increase.
Our larders are better supplied our cooking
facilities much greater, our cooking utensils
much better, but says the New York Tribune:
"We should turn back to some of the simpler
ways of our ancestors in cooking. The de-
mands of modern society have driven the
ladies of tie household from the Kitchen and
the preparation of food is left too often in the
hands of untutored servants" We do not alto
gether agree with the Tribune. The food of
today does not appear to many OF us as it did
years ago in our childhood, but it is not be-
cause the ladies of the household do not give
1t their supervision. There are many reasons
why; 1--WE speak of cooking now in our south
ern states.) During the war there were so
many methods of economy resorted to that it
became second nature to try and make good
things with as few ingredients as possible,
therefore there were many economical recipes
handed from one to another and the house
keeper that could make the cheapest cake, or
the best bread with the least lard III it was
proud of her achievements. AS time passed
on and we became more prosperous and there
was no necessity for such rigid economy it was
q confirmed habit and the old fashioned cook
ing was a thing of the past. Now where one is
not able to use good and plenty of rich in
gradients it is right to use such recipes, but
where people live in the country land those
who live in town and can hSVe milk, butter
and egas) and raise their own meat, and have
lard in advance there is no use to ask if the
art of good cooking is lost. Think of a
farmers wife who ought to raise her own
chickens sending a recipe for good cake
made with one egg 1t maybe good provided
you cannot get amy more eggs, but under no
4 ,1-o,
be called good. When we think of old fash
toned pound cake where a pound meant
pound, that was good cake. Now one seldom
sees real pound cake; probably on extra occa-
sions, Christmas, etc, but otherwise it is cup
cake of different sorts and usually made light
with the miserable baking powders which
have been introduced and are so much in use.
The consequence is the cake if not used at once
Is so dry III q few days that it is not worth
eating. And so with our breads. Instead of
the good old fashioned beat biscuits where a
hundred and forty beats were required to make
them all right, we have a biscuit made in
twenty minutes, with water and baking
powder some people do not even use milk;
then even good old buclwheat is sold IN pack
ages as self-risng, and when the cakes come
on the table they are light, but it is hard to
discover whether you are eating buckwheat or
any other wheat. Take also our lard; country
people can have pure lard for they prepare it
themselves, but buy the compressed article
offered us in the city, and there is as much
water as lard, and what lard there is, is mixed
with other ingredients Many other reasons
could be mentioned Why food docs not taste
quite as good as formerly. The many adutera-
lions answer the question partly; cheap and
economical cooking goa great way towards the
difference and lastly our taste changes. If
one lives to ask the question 'is the food of to-
day as good as that Of fifty years ago?" they
must remember that fifty years makes as great
q change in the taste as in all other things
Co.
A Woman's Letter.
A merchants wife recently gave him the
following letter with instructions thai il should not
be opened untl he got to his place Of business. ~
am forced to tell you something that | know viii
trouble you, but It is my duty to do So am de-